Knife scabbards



Sept. 8, 1959 Filed Dec. 15, 1957 c. A. RUTLEDGE, JR 2,903,171

KNIFE SCABBARDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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2 States Patent KNIFE'SCABBARDS 'Chesley Arthur-Rutledge, Jr., Torrance, Calif.

Application DLecember 13, 1957, Serial No. 702,678

" 3' Claims. c1.2'z4-2 l invention relates to improved scabbards for knives, such, as butcher knives. I

The primary object of the invention is to provide more practical and eflicient scabbards of this kind which more effectively hold knives inserted therein and provide for drainage of moisture from knives through the lower ends of the scabbards, the scabbards having resilient and frictional means for releasably retaining knives therein in a non rattling and secure but easily removable manner. u -Another object of vthe invention is to provide knife scahbardspfthe character indicated above which can be niadein wellfinished rugged, and serviceable forms at relativelylow cost.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will beapparent from the following descriptionand the accompanying drawings, wherein, for the pur poses ofillustration only, a specific form of the invention s set for i detai In the drawings:

,Figure ,1, is an outboard perspective view of a knife scabbard of. theinvention, showing the same suspended from awaist beltwhich isshown in phantom lines.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on theline 2-. 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlargedhorizontal section taken on the line 3 ,3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an outboard perspective view of another form of the invention.

Figure S-is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on; 1ine'-55 ofFigure 4. -l i Figure 6 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line of Figure 4.

Refernn'gin detail to the drawings, wherein like or similar numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, and first toFigures 1'to3 thereof, the knife seabbard thereinshownand generally designated 10, comprises a sheath 12, and a clamping and wedging slide 14 therein, both made of resilient sheet material, preferably aluminum.

The sheath 12 comprises a vertically elongated back plate 16 which has downwardly converging side edges 18, an upper edge 20, and a lower edge 22. A belt hook or clip 24 has a lower edge 26 secured by a horizontal hinge 28 to the upper edge 20 of the back plate 16 for suspending the scabbard, as from a waist belt 30 of a wearer of the scabbard.

On the side edges 18 of the back plate 16 and extending outboardly therefrom are downwardly and inboardly tapering side flanges 32 which are at right angles to the back plate 16 and have on and extending the length of their outboard edges, right angularly retaining inturned flanges 34. The retaining flanges 34 extend upwardly from the lower edges 36 of the side flanges 32 to the lower ends of outboardly declining edges 38 on the upper ends of the side flanges 32. The declining edges 38 result from cutting down the upper ends of the side flange 32 to facilitate access to the interior of the sheath 12.

Patented Sept. 8, 1959 The clamping slide 14 comprises a flat vertically elongated plate 40 having downwardly converging side edges 42 of the same angul-ation as the side flanges 32 and arranged to slidably and frictionally wedge against the inner sides of the side flanges 32 behind the retaining flanges 34. The plate 40 has a lower edge 44 and its upper edge terminates in an inboardly and downwardly curved hori-, zontal resilient knife-engaging lip 46. As shown in phantom lines in Figure 1, a knife 48, such as a butcher knife, and having a handle 50 and a blade 52, is securably engaged in the scabbard 10 by passing the blade 52 downwardly in the sheath 12 with the blade 52 between the back plate 16 and the retaining lip 46 until the handle 50 jambs or wedges between the back plate 16 and the re taining lip. In this jaming or wedging action, the slide 14 is forced downwardly inthe sheath and outboardly into engagement with the retaining flanges 34, so as to produce frictional wedging engagement between the slide and the retaining flanges and between the side edges 42 of the slide and the side flanges 34 of the sheath 12, so that the slide is arrested, and the knife handle is clamped or wedged between the back plate 16 and the resilient lip 26; The knife 48 is thereby securely held in the scabbard. Upward pull on the knife handle 50 serves to elevate and loosen the slide 14, and thereby increase the space between the lip 46 and the back plate 16, and tree the knife handle 50 to be pulled out of the sheath 12.

The form of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 6, and generally designated 10 comprises a sheath 12 and a slide 14 substantially similar to those shown in Figures 1 to 3 and designated by similar primed numerals, but has inaddition, a second or inboard slide 60, positioned between the sheath back wall 16 and the outboard slide 14.

The second or inboard slide 60 comprises a fiat, vertically elongated plate 62 having downwardly converging side edges 64 on and along which are outboardly ex tending right angular downwardly tapered side flanges, 66 whose outer sides bear against the inner sides of the,

inboardly tapered outboard edges 68 which bear slidably.

and frictionally against the back or inboard sides of the retaining flanges 34 g I The outboard slide 14 is similar to the slide 14 of Figures 1 to 3, except that it is narrower than the slide 14 and has its side edges 42 hearing slidably and wedgingly aga'instthe inner sides of the side flanges 66 of the inboard slide 60, instead of against the sheath side flanges 32 and the width of the outboard slide 60 is such that it occupies a position in the sheath 12 lower than that of the inboard slide 60, with its resilient lip 46 spaced below a similar resilient lip 70 on the upper end of the outboard slide 60.

In the scabbard 10 of Figures 4 to 6, outboard and inboard knife receiving pockets or compartments are provided between the outboard slide 14 and the inboard slide 60, and between the inboard slide 60 and the back plate 16 of the sheath 12 respectively, for accommodating, in substantially the manner hereinabove described, relatively short knives 72 and relatively long knives 74, respectively.

While I have shown and described herein specific embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that any change or changes in the forms of and in relative arrangements of components can be made within the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A knife scabbard comprising a sheath having a vertical back plate, downwardly converging and downwardly tapering vertical side flanges on and projecting forwardly from said back plate, said side flanges having outboard edges having laterally inwardly projecting retaining flanges extending therealong, and slide means freely and slidably positioned in the sheath between the back plateand the retaining flanges and having downwardly converging side edges capable of wedging relation with said side flanges at different locations between the back plate and said retaining flanges, said slide means comprising an outboard flat slide plate of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said slide means further comprising an inboard flat slide plate freely positioned in the sheath between the outboard slide plate and the back plate of the sheath, said inboard slide plate being of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate having vertical side flanges projecting outboardly therefrom and having outboard edges to bear against the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate side flanges being downwardly convergent for wedging engagement with the side flanges of the sheath in different positions between the back plate and the retaining flanges.

2. A knife scabbard comprising a sheath having a vertical back plate, downwardly converging and downwardly tapering vertical side flanges on and projecting forwardly from said back plate, said side flanges having outboard edges having laterally inwardly projecting retaining flanges extending therealong, and slide means freely and slidably positioned in the sheath between the back plate and the retaining flanges and having downwardly converging side edges capable of wedging relation with said side flanges at different locations between the back plate and said retaining flanges, said slide means comprising an outboard flat slide plate of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said slide means further comprising an inboard flat slide plate freely positioned in the sheath between the outboard slide plate and the back plate of the sheath, said inboard slide plate being of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate having vertical side flanges projecting outboardly therefrom and having outboard edges to bear against the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate side flanges being downwardly convergent for wedging engagement with the side flanges of the sheath in different positions between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said outboard slide plate being narrower than the distance between the side flanges of the inboard slide plate, said outboard slide plate being positioned between and having downwardly converging side edges for wedging engagement with the side flanges of the inboard slide plate.

3. A knife scabbard comprising a sheath having a vertical back plate, downwardly converging and downwardly tapering vertical side flanges on and projecting forwardly from said back plate, said side flanges having outboard edges having laterally inwardly projecting retaining flanges extending therealong, and slide means freely and slidably positioned in the sheath between the back plate and the retaining flanges and having downwardly converging side edges capable of wedging relation with said side'flanges at different locations between the back plate and said retaining flanges, said slide means comprising an outboard flat slide plate of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said slide means further comprising an inboard flat slide plate freely positioned in the sheath between the outboard slide plate and the back plate of the sheath, said inboard slide plate being of a thickness substantially less than the distance between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate having vertical side flanges projecting outboardly therefrom and having outboard edges to bear against the retaining flanges, said inboard slide plate side flanges being downwardly convergent for wedging engagement with the side flanges of the sheath in different positions between the back plate and the retaining flanges, said outboard slide plate being narrower than the distance between the side flanges of the inboard slide plate, said outboard slide plate being positioned between and having downwardly converging side edges for wedging engagement with the side flanges of the inboard slide plate, and inboardly projecting resilient lips on the upper ends of the outboard andinboard slide plates, the lip on the inboard slide plate serving to engage and space the inboard slide plate away from the back plate of the sheath and facilitate downward insertion for a knife in the pocket defined between the inboard plate and the back plate, and the lip on the out board slide plate serving to engage and space the out board slide plate from the inboard slide plate and facilitate downward insertion of a knife in the pocket defined between the outb aoard slide plate and the inboard slide plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS' 386,964 Cochran Julyil, 1888 1,876,284 Fried Sept. 6, 1932 1,954,224 Piker Apr. 10, 1934 2,236,382 Roberge Mar. 25, 1941 2,424,302 Brickey July 22, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 107,863 Austria Nora-10,1927 

